Enberg was hired to be No. 2 in the Rams booth to Bob Kelly in 1966. But three games into the exhibition season, Kelly suffered a fatal heart attack. Enberg became the voice of the Rams.

At about the same time, Enberg was also named the play-by-play voice of the Bruins. He stayed with UCLA for nine seasons, during which time they won eight NCAA titles.

“I used to joke John Wooden, ‘look what I’ve done for you,’ ” Enberg said.

It was Enberg’s work with UCLA and the Rams that put him on the national stage and led to the far bigger events of his career.

But it was another unexpected turn that he thinks made him.

In 1969, Autry asked Enberg to move from the pregame show to being the No. 1 voice of the Angels.

“I didn’t want to do it,” Enberg said. “I didn’t want to give up the news, boxing, all the things I was doing.” But he soon discovered how great baseball can be.

In fact, aside from Wimbledon — “The cathedral effect of the venue and the event sets it aside and makes it special,” he says — Enberg thinks the greatest event to broadcast is the no-hitter.

“I was there for Nolan Ryan’s first two. No single event is more thrilling because the excitement builds and builds to that last pitch.”

It was while teamed with partner Don Drysdale with the Angels that Enberg developed the toggle switch.

“We wanted to be able to talk as a team on the air,” Enberg said. “At the time, it was one voice at a time. Don would jump in there every time an umpire wouldn’t give a pitcher the strike on the inside corner. God bless him, he’d be jumping in all the time these days.”

Speaking of jumping, Enberg says he is “eager to jump back on the horse” that is baseball.

“I know how to ride the baseball horse,” he said.

“The baseball broadcaster is on the air more than 600 hours a season. I’m going to be able to sell San Diego. I’m not here to cheer for the Padres, but to sell baseball. There’s a lot of opportunities to call more than balls and strikes, which is another beauty of broadcasting baseball. ...

“Along with the game, I want to bring the clubhouse and the people into the telecast. And I’m eager to work with Mark Grant and Tony Gwynn.

“I’m pumped because this is an announcer’s game. A lot of people think this is a short-term assignment. I’m in it for the long term.”